Can Scalp Massage End Up Speeding Up male pattern baldness?

LeeVanCleef

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I've been massaging for 5 months and while it's improved my crown area, my temples seem to have taken a hit and look more receded.

Do you think it's just coincidence? Or can massage speed up recession?
 

Bornwithacurse225

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Yeah you’re rubbing and pulling out the hairs like twisting it into dreads or something. Don’t touch those hairs while doing it. If you didn’t do that then coincidence
 

neddy2016

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I never had any luck with scalp massages. they just seemed to make my hair thin out more. and its not a case of pulling hairs. often i was losing it in areas i did not touch. perhaps its scalp stress from the massage. maybe a sensitivity.
 

LeeVanCleef

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I never had any luck with scalp massages. they just seemed to make my hair thin out more. and its not a case of pulling hairs. often i was losing it in areas i did not touch. perhaps its scalp stress from the massage. maybe a sensitivity.

Yeah, I don't even notice much hair coming out during massage, but hair on the sides is thinner and temple edges look less solid. Weirdly enough massage has certainly helped my crown, which looks thicker than when I started.

Very strange. Could be a coincidence though.
 

jake_b

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It's still too early for me to be certain about this, but I've noticed some weird things since I've started massage seriously.

My hairline does look like it has thinned out much more than it was. But the hairs behind the hairline are noticeably darker and stronger and thicker. I hope that everything is improving slightly and the hairline loss is just shedding of weak hairs so they can restart a new cycle stronger than before, kind of similar to when starting minoxidil?

Still hard to tell. Overall, I'm happy with the subtle thickening of the hair behind the hairline, but if the hairline loss continues at this pace rather than growing back it's going to suck.
 

LeeVanCleef

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My hairline does look like it has thinned out much more than it was. But the hairs behind the hairline are noticeably darker and stronger and thicker. I hope that everything is improving slightly and the hairline loss is just shedding of weak hairs so they can restart a new cycle stronger than before, kind of similar to when starting minoxidil?.

Interesting. I was thinking that today as well. The hair in middle also looks and feels thicker than before. Maybe you're right and it'll come back stronger. Either way I think I'll keep at it, but yeah it's difficult to know how it'll go.

The thing that makes me want to continue is how much less I seem to shed when I massage. Also the improvement on my crown. It's just frustrating seeing the temples shift a bit.
 

Capone

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I noticed that too.. and was also thinking if massages can do it, then so can dermarolling. Both must increase inflammation at the follicles.
 

5minutesbeforemiracle

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I've been massaging 5 weeks now and I can say that my hairline/density got drastically worse in this short timeframe, whereas before it was getting worse only slowly. Massaging is the only 'treatment' I'm doing, and I'll continue it in the hopes that it was a finasteride-like shed where the hairs will come back stronger.
 

Bornwithacurse225

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Idk I saw someone using minoxidil and their hair got like game over awful then instantly became 10x better. Such a gamble.
 

neddy2016

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Thing is. If it's not a shed and it's just thinning... What's the chance that it will grow back? Shed is one thing, but thinning is just killing the follicles.
 

Pephair

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I've been massaging 5 weeks now and I can say that my hairline/density got drastically worse in this short timeframe, whereas before it was getting worse only slowly. Massaging is the only 'treatment' I'm doing, and I'll continue it in the hopes that it was a finasteride-like shed where the hairs will come back stronger.
Did you notice an increase in shedding as well during this time?
 

sonictemples

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I have done the massages for 2+ years. Had a big shed, hair got a notch thicker. During these 2 years, I lost a chunk of my hairline.
 

Pephair

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Interesting. I'd say almost immediately my shedding stopped from just 6 minutes of massage once a day. I went from 75 hairs+ in the shower to maybe 10? Just curious if anyone else had the same initial response.
 

sonictemples

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Any natural treatment is too weak without Zix. I would add Zix and microneedling with massages.
 

LeeVanCleef

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I have done the massages for 2+ years. Had a big shed, hair got a notch thicker. During these 2 years, I lost a chunk of my hairline.

Did you stick at it? I've been comparing pre-daily massage and after pics and 6 months later I can see it's widened the temple recession a bit. Prior to that my recession has been very stable so it's surely a result of massage. Generally I shed a lot less though, but when I do it's normally short hairs which is strange. Currently I'm not sure whether it's helping or hindering the hairloss.
 

sonictemples

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Did you stick at it? I've been comparing pre-daily massage and after pics and 6 months later I can see it's widened the temple recession a bit. Prior to that my recession has been very stable so it's surely a result of massage. Generally I shed a lot less though, but when I do it's normally short hairs which is strange. Currently I'm not sure whether it's helping or hindering the hairloss.

Every single day, for 40 minutes.
 

5minutesbeforemiracle

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Every single day, for 40 minutes.
So you think it's helping then? Has it stabilised? And what norwood are you at? It's possible even though you lost a chunk of hairline it's not part of male pattern baldness but just a maturing hairline, and the massages stopped actual male pattern baldness progression.
 

sonictemples

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So you think it's helping then? Has it stabilised? And what norwood are you at? It's possible even though you lost a chunk of hairline it's not part of male pattern baldness but just a maturing hairline, and the massages stopped actual male pattern baldness progression.

Sorry, I have done it from 2017 to 2019. I have lost a lot of hair during and after doing the massages. It didn't work for me at all.
 

JaneyElizabeth

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I respect Rob but I had a shed and I never had shed before although I was using other stuff. Micro-needling is faster and heals scars and makes this thread irrelevant.
 

Anarch

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Most if not all successes have sheds and thinning before a growth phase. This is why we'll can never know what is truly working or what is making things work. It's difficult to know either way.
 
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